The Hon. Lawrence Gonzi

President, ICD Program on the Mediterranean

Former Prime Minister of Malta

Biography

The Hon. Lawrence Gonzi was born in Valetta on 1st July 1953. He graduated with a degree in Law in 1975 from the University of Malta. He became Prime Minister of Malta on March 23rd 2004 and his term lasted until March 2013. In the first election he obtained 59,3% of the delegate votes. Before entering the House of Representatives, the Hon. Mr Gonzi was the General President of Malta Catholic Action between 1976 and 1986. From 1987 to 1994 he was appointed the first Chairman of the National Commission for the Disabled. He was particularly interested in the issues of disability and mental health. In 1988, he was elected Speaker of the House of Representatives and was unanimously reelected in 1992. He was then elected whip of the Opposition Party, Partit Nazzjonalista (PN), Secretary to the Parliamentary Group and Shadow Minister for Social Policy in 1996. In 1997, he was elected Secretary-General of the Partit Nazzjonalista.

The Maltese Nationalist Party returned to power in the 1998 elections and the Hon. Mr Gonzi became the Minister for Social Policy and Leader of the House of Representatives. He then became the Deputy Prime Minister of Malta and the Deputy Leader of the Nationalist Party and served till March 2004. In 2004, he was elected the Prime Minister of Malta and took office on March 23rd, 2004. During his leadership, on 1st May 2004 Malta joined the European Union. He was reelected Prime Minister in the 2008 elections. In 2013 he retired from active political life.